zeolite: protecting crops from insects and mites

Photographs of organic plums treated with zeolite at the Grypiotis Estate on Skopelos, Magnesia, from the website Zeolite | Zeolife.gr – Contact number: 6947402221

Daniel, Claudia; Dierauer, Hansueli and Clerc, Maurice (2013) The potential of silicate rock dust to control pollen beetles (Meligethes spp.). IOBC wprs Bulletin, 96, pp. 47–55. Summary In organic agriculture, the use of rock dusts for soil improvement, disease prevention or insect control has a long tradition. Clinoptilolite (a naturally occurring zeolite) was tested against the pollen beetle Meligethes spp. in organic and IPM oilseed rape fields in order to identify a control strategy compatible with the guidelines for organic and IPM agriculture in Switzerland. Dust and spray applications were evaluated in several large-scale field trials from 2008 to 2011. ... Read more

The bacterium Xylella fastidiosa is causing increasing damage to crops in Italy and there is, of course, a risk of it spreading. This bacterium infects pear, almond and peach trees, as well as olive trees. This new outbreak is taking on enormous proportions due to the size of the olive groves. And at present, combating the disease once it has appeared is extreme and irreversible for the tree, as it essentially leads to its destruction. So, before we get to the bacterial level, it is worth recalling that Xylella fastidiosa is transmitted by insects of the families Cicadellidae and Cercopidae, ... Read more

M. Koukidou1*†, A. Klinakis1*†‡, C. Reboulakis§, L. Zagoraiou*†¶, N. Tavernarakis*, I. Livadaras*, A. Economopoulos§ and C. Savakis*† *Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Crete, Greece; †Medical School and §Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece Abstract The olive fruit fly (olive fly) Bactrocera oleae (Dacus), recently introduced in North America, is the most destructive pest of olives worldwide. The lack of an efficient gene transfer technology for olive fly has hampered molecular analysis, as well as development of genetic techniques for its control. We have developed a Minos-based transposon vector carrying a self- ... Read more